My paternal
grandfather Moses Leib Shvartz (a.k.a. Maurice Lewis Schwartz) was born
in Jacobstadt, Russia (now Jekabpils, Latvia) on June 17, 1883.
He was the oldest of 9 children born to Itzek Hersh and Kaila Flaxmann.
( note: according to the Jacobstadt Births records for 1883, Moses- Leib was born to Itzik- Hirsh, son of Moses)
His younger siblings were: Izrael Iser born on March 1, 1886, Yosel Genekh, born on December 8, 1889, Esther Gasha born on January 19, 1892, Abraham Felik born in 1895, Harry born in 1896, Bernard born in 1898 and Fannie born in 1903, (all the above dates are from the Julian calendar).
Maurice apprenticed as both a bookbinder and a wallpaper hanger, while he lived in Jacobstadt. In 1904, when he was 21 years of age, he crossed the Daugava River to reach the Kreutzburg Train Station where he boarded a commuter train that took him to the capital city of Riga. While in Riga he obtained a passport, as he knew it would be easier to travel out of Russia with a passport. To complete the requirements for obtaining a passport, he needed both an excuse to avoid conscription into the Russian Army and have his papers endorsed by the local official. His plan was to appear too weak to serve in the Russian Army and to try to convince a doctor that he needed to leave Russia to live in a warmer climate. Before Maurice entered the doctor’s office, he went up and down several flights of stairs many times so his pulse rate and blood pressure would appear to be abnormal. While the doctor was examining Maurice, he told the doctor that he is always like this! The doctor wrote a note for Maurice to move to a warmer climate for health reasons. With the doctor’s note in hand, Maurice then went to see the local official to receive the necessary endorsement entered in his passport. However, there was an Army Guard at the doorway entrance to the local official’s office, so Maurice gave the guard a bottle of vodka as a bribe so the guard would let him through the doorway to see the local official. Maurice obtained the needed endorsement into his passport and then purchased a steamship ticket out of Riga to Rotterdam. Once in Rotterdam, Maurice purchased a steerage class ticket on the SS Noordam that would take him to the United States. While waiting for his ship to leave Rotterdam, Maurice did some sight seeing and got a little too close to one of the neighboring borders where a border guard took a shot a him! However, Maurice was not hit and he left Rotterdam soon after this incident. Maurice said that as a bachelor, traveling in steerage, there was many times when the young single passengers would be able to meet and enjoy each others company.
The SS Noordam came into the port of New York at Manhattan where steerage passengers were transferred to a barge that took them to Ellis Island for health and immigration clearance. Once Maurice passed his health examination and immigration questions, he took a train to Boston, Massachusetts where he lived, married and prospered.
Maurice met his wife Celia Handler at a social get together that was run by the Hebrew Immigration Society of Chelsea. Soon after meeting, the young couple was married. The newlyweds enlarged the family with the following children: Samuel in 1910, Philip in 1912, Pearle in 1914, James in 1916, Bernard in 1921 and Irving in 1924.
Maurice first earned his living by being a Grocer and then an Egg Candler. When each of his children was old enough to work, they each contributed to the support of the family. Maurice lived to the age of 97, had 6 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren and passed away in Chelsea in 1980.
His younger siblings were: Izrael Iser born on March 1, 1886, Yosel Genekh, born on December 8, 1889, Esther Gasha born on January 19, 1892, Abraham Felik born in 1895, Harry born in 1896, Bernard born in 1898 and Fannie born in 1903, (all the above dates are from the Julian calendar).
Maurice apprenticed as both a bookbinder and a wallpaper hanger, while he lived in Jacobstadt. In 1904, when he was 21 years of age, he crossed the Daugava River to reach the Kreutzburg Train Station where he boarded a commuter train that took him to the capital city of Riga. While in Riga he obtained a passport, as he knew it would be easier to travel out of Russia with a passport. To complete the requirements for obtaining a passport, he needed both an excuse to avoid conscription into the Russian Army and have his papers endorsed by the local official. His plan was to appear too weak to serve in the Russian Army and to try to convince a doctor that he needed to leave Russia to live in a warmer climate. Before Maurice entered the doctor’s office, he went up and down several flights of stairs many times so his pulse rate and blood pressure would appear to be abnormal. While the doctor was examining Maurice, he told the doctor that he is always like this! The doctor wrote a note for Maurice to move to a warmer climate for health reasons. With the doctor’s note in hand, Maurice then went to see the local official to receive the necessary endorsement entered in his passport. However, there was an Army Guard at the doorway entrance to the local official’s office, so Maurice gave the guard a bottle of vodka as a bribe so the guard would let him through the doorway to see the local official. Maurice obtained the needed endorsement into his passport and then purchased a steamship ticket out of Riga to Rotterdam. Once in Rotterdam, Maurice purchased a steerage class ticket on the SS Noordam that would take him to the United States. While waiting for his ship to leave Rotterdam, Maurice did some sight seeing and got a little too close to one of the neighboring borders where a border guard took a shot a him! However, Maurice was not hit and he left Rotterdam soon after this incident. Maurice said that as a bachelor, traveling in steerage, there was many times when the young single passengers would be able to meet and enjoy each others company.
The SS Noordam came into the port of New York at Manhattan where steerage passengers were transferred to a barge that took them to Ellis Island for health and immigration clearance. Once Maurice passed his health examination and immigration questions, he took a train to Boston, Massachusetts where he lived, married and prospered.
Maurice met his wife Celia Handler at a social get together that was run by the Hebrew Immigration Society of Chelsea. Soon after meeting, the young couple was married. The newlyweds enlarged the family with the following children: Samuel in 1910, Philip in 1912, Pearle in 1914, James in 1916, Bernard in 1921 and Irving in 1924.
Maurice first earned his living by being a Grocer and then an Egg Candler. When each of his children was old enough to work, they each contributed to the support of the family. Maurice lived to the age of 97, had 6 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren and passed away in Chelsea in 1980.